thekirbyfake

There must be something in the terms and conditions regarding delays. They can't postpone delivery indefinitely. My broker's T&C's say I can't get deposit back if it's delayed by more than something like 8 weeks.

Evo has a Golf GTI in their long term test fleet BUT I don't think that they're biased. IMO they're the least biased out there. They gave the DB9 an absolute roasting to the point where Aston bosses summoned them to Gaydon to explain themselves. Aston had given them a DB7 GT to use for a year so it's not like they're afraid to bite the hand that feeds them. Their Car of The Year contest has been won by a Porsche for around 4 out of the 6 they've done but again they're not blinkered. The Cayman S didn't fare to well this year. They're also not badge snobs by any stretch of the imaginat

A good site to try is Glass's Guide Click on the link for "Whole Life Costs" and choose the car. It'll then give you the costs including fuel, insurance, servicing & depreciation over a set period. For example, for 3 years & 10k per year: ST-2 = 71p/mile Golf GTI = 67p/mile Astra SRi = 73p/mile Imprezza WRX = 81p/mile

There was a thread on here recently about that. In the UK we've had a history with "XR" with the Fiesta XR2, the Escort XR3i & the Sierra XR4i (and I seem to remember an XR4x4?). To some they were the dogs danglies and you still see many Escorts kicking around. They sold well at the time but in truth they weren't particularly good cars. They date back from an age were Ford made loads of money but ropey cars whereas now they make little money but good cars. Unfortunately to the general public an "XR3i" had a bit of an image problem and the drivers were perceived as boy racers. Ford

I suggest the Dead Sea doesn't have enough salt in it for "facts" like that.

Thanks COG is an interesting point. Any idea what the figures are? I have the ST as only being 7mm taller but the bigger, heavier engine would raise its COG. What about the F/R weight distribution? Again assume the RS has the edge but what about the figures?

No way! Tourque steer off the road you mean. RS was terrible on the road, any bump and your off! Jeez where did you get that from! Do you even know what an LSD does?

Good balanced review foobar This comment is the most important bit. Yes, they're both hatchbacks with blue ovals in the grill Yes, they both have turbo-charged engines pushing out around 220bhp They also cost about the same although real "cost" is more than evened out by the residuals. That's just about where it ends. To me the ST is a practical hatchback that happens to have a powerful engine and a brillaint chassis. The RS is a focused performance car that happens to be a practical hatchback. ST cruiser; RS bruiser. On the Nurburgring debate: 1) 10 seconds quicker IS worth me

I imagine the demo has been run in more than yours. The ST170 was as tight as a nun when it was delivered and needed a good few miles before it freed up. Plus the ecu learns your driving style and adapts. The demo model will have been thrashed by every Tom, * * * * and Harry. I guess you've been driving yours with a degree of mechanical sympathy. I wouldn't imagine that any stealer would know how to tweak such a new motor. He's lying. Plain and simple. Plus, think of it this way. He gets £20 cash now. In 12k miles you have to go back to him to "get the tweak reversed" and therefo

davetcollection - I imagine if you were given a £1m bonus at work you'd be moaning that you had to pay £400k tax. Quit whining. There are plenty of people who don't get any priv discount so your complaints of "20% discount means I only save £4k" are falling on deaf ears.

I haven't driven the VXR but have driven the Megane Trophy and a CTR. All the mag reviews (and trust me, I'm sad enough to have read them ALL!) have put them into the same bracket as the Astra whereas the GTI and ST are more "GT" in nature. Bizarre that whizzpopper let Top Gear have a car to review that wasn't set up correctly?

It's hardly a beauty contest for either car but IMO the least ugly for each is: Front - Golf Side - 50:50 but in 5-door form the Golf looks better resolved Rear - Focus Interior - Focus with the Golf losing points for the tartan seats The Golf might look like the standard range but that's the point. No offence to any MK2 owners but I'm glad the ST differentiates itself from the rather bland lesser models but without being too overt (TangOrange aside)

That would be me I think I'm saving around £2300 off list now with delivery confirmed for March. They could've delivered mid-Feb but I wanted the 06 reg. Generally they've made the procedure fairly painless (ignoring the price increase which I don't consider to be their fault*) although it's early days yet. I imagine nearer delivery time things could go wrong but no indications so far. *Ford reduced the discounts given to the fleet companies they use partly because a) they were getting full price in showrooms and, b) I guess they were getting fed up of having their faces rubbed in it

March Name: Kirby Model: ST-2 + couple of options Colour: Black Current car: ST170

The 5 cylinder D5 unit would be the marketing department's wet dream, tagging on the back of the success of the unique-in-class 5-pot ST. Anyone know how heavy/big the 2.2 Mondeo lump is?

The subtlety of the ST (excluding Tangorange) is one of the things I like about it. "Walk quietly and carry a big stick" is my motto.

Yeah, but the ST is a Ford so what's your point? I'm sorry but this sort of badge snobbery really winds me up. :roll: I think whizzpopper are to be applauded for designing such a radical looking car as the sport hatch. It makes the Focus MK2 look very bland in comparison. Likewise the new Civic is a step forward in design, not backwards. When the original Focus MK1 came out there was a collective intake of breath from the automotive world. It was a car that moved on the game not only in handling but in the fact that it looked like nothing else on the road. Now the Focus MK2 just loo

I think my new engine is slightly different to my old one...

What flavour Elise have you got?

Gotta say I agree with that. Getting a little tiresome seeing it all the time.

Madly jealous. However, I'm planning to do A LOT more than 200 miles in a week when I get mine next March. What are you doing posting on a forum? Go out and drive it! :wink:

Well said sir. Another reason why some people shell out their hard earned on new cars is that their company car policy says they have to have a new car, even if they've opted out of the scheme and taken the cash (myself included). Would I rather buy a fully specced ST or a bargain basement BMW 118? Hmmm... let me think about that one... Absolutely not sir. But then you did bring up a Golf GTI when talking about better value, more performance and less depreciation. Ignoring the first two points I'm sure the Focus will lose more in % terms but when you're comparing real monitary fig

WARNING - PLASTIC GEEK ALERT Bumpers are made from PP (polypropylene) which is very chemically resistant (other PP applications include bleach bottles) so you have to use specific solvents and pigments that will adhere properly. The lighter the colour (silver, white) and the more sensitive the pigment (orange, blue, red) the worse this could be. You could use different plastics but the fact is that PP is one of the cheapest materials you can use. For example, the door handles are typically made from a polycarbonate/polybutylene terephthalate blend but they would make your average bumper

To spec a new Golf GTI (which is still just a Golf) to the same level costs around £3k more than a list price ST. Then you have to think about Priv and broker deals. The one I have on order saves £6k vs the equivalent Golf. If you consider that £6k is "a few ££ more" then your car is only worth "a few ££". If you're lucky. How many Audi TT's did you see on your way to work this morning? And how many 330's? I think you need to find out what a chav actually is and perhaps you should look a little closer to home. On my drive? TT - it'll make a nice feature next to my ornamental

Sorry no idea what that means THIS Might be of use...